#1405 – Cultural Dating Norms, AI Impact, and Resilience in Latin America

Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.

[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now I wonder Hello there all you ex-pad wannabes. I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started Let's start off with a bang today Now you longtime listeners know that I get all kinds of emails about sex love romance, etc Of course, we're talking about Latin American style. I get so many in fact, and they're mostly from guys

[00:47] Of course that I could fill every show with just a sex and romance topic Well as those love and romance questions and email stacks get higher I have to eventually get to some of them don't I? Like for example the very controversial often heinous and disgusting topic of dick pics Yes, some of the states dick pics are all the rage, right? No, I honestly don't know how that ever happened how they ever got to be popular It even seems like all the teenage angst movies have dick pic themes in them, too You know the movie plot Somehow there's always a high school aged guy a nerd Who's got no luck at all with girls and suddenly a girl pays attention to him And he ends up getting into all kinds of trouble because someone one of his friends, baby talked him into sending her a dick pic

[01:36] Yeah, so that's a common theme up in the States. But what about down here in Latin America? Is it all that different? well latinas Latina ladies, I know who've been on those Cupid sites Those tinder like dating sites say that they too get plenty of disgusting dick pics But almost always always from us guys. It's the US guys who send the dick pics not Latinos Hmm Does that make sense? Anyway guys, have you ever sent a dick pic even to your girlfriend or wife? You know, I think that's one thing in favor of boomer guys and Gen X guys They still have a remnant of an inborn kind of sex shame or guilt thing going and up So that they would not think of doing such a juvenile thing is sending a dick pic

[02:26] By the way, you know how dangerous that can be dick pics can get you into a lot of trouble You can get screwed out of a job a girlfriend a promotion. They are not known as reputation enhancers Except maybe in the porno world Though it does seem odd that Latino guys on those Cupid and tinder sites are not big on dick pics at all Sounds like a good thing, right? But what's up with that? Maybe I've just been talking to an outliers segment of latinas who are telling me those things You know, that's where I'm getting this information from talking with latinas I know and not older middle-aged latinas either. I'm talking about high school 20 something and 30 something's by the way I don't know about girls up in the States, but latina girls do not want to see dick pics

[03:15] You can you blame them? They're considered gross and instant disqualifiers on those Cupid site Besides that who knows if they are real or AI accentuated Like one latina girl told me a girl in her mid 20s She said she'd only been on the Cupid site a week and she'd already gotten at least a hundred dick pics She said she finally just quit this site and discussed Get this. She said she got lots and lots of very white dick pics sent from guys whose profile pictures Showed they were black or dark skinned Ah the miracle of AI and photoshop Again, she said almost all those gross pictures she got from American guys Dick pics. Come on. Whoever thought that was a good idea. Well, anyway, it doesn't add up

[04:02] So a word to the wise. Oh you gringles and expats out there who are getting on those Cupid sites Look in a hookup with a latin lady Do not send dick pics real or enhanced or you'll immediately end up in the trash bin Now I know I know there's a certain percentage of guys and gals out there swingers. Just looking for sex One night stands stuff like that. That's a different thing But as for everyone else looking for something long-term and serious It doesn't matter if you're a blue-eyed adonis if you want to lose points instantly send a dick pic So Speaking of AI And we were you know talking about how AI can enhance your dick pic One thing i've noticed while it's talking to many latin americans down here even very intelligent latin americans They seem completely clueless about AI. Oh, they've heard of it

[04:50] All right, but they don't think it's going to have any effect on them. It's something first world In fact one latina, I know is an administrator at a gigantic call center Of course, you must know that one of the top five employers here in latin america are call centers Anyway, just a few days ago. I was talking to this latina administrator of a big call center When I mentioned AI and its effect on the workplace worldwide When I mentioned that within a couple of years, it's certain to wipe out call center She seemed unconcerned clueless about AI in general In fact, so i've been listening to a lot of AI experts They say AI is coming at us so fast that it will replace one in seven desk jobs within two years And three out of four desks jobs by 2030

[05:39] Five years from now They're talking about desk jobs in every job sector. Wait a minute. Wait a minute podcasters have desk jobs, right? Hmm that's not so good for me, huh? And you know, I firmly believe that AI can replace 90 percent of podcasters and you wouldn't even know it I guess that means me too In fact a listener a nerd listener sent me an AI version of me talking Yep, they've got it down. All right He trained it on my voice kind of freaks out when you hear your own voice saying things that you never really said So then when will I get replaced by AI? Well, maybe i've already been replaced and this is AI Now i've heard a few media guys and podcasters say they don't think AI can be as edgy and out there as a real human

[06:31] They say it can't make the same kind of jokes or quips But the fact is if there are enough recordings of a person There's enough audio out there for the AI system to keep sampling and learning and regurgitating It will be a foregone conclusion that almost no human will be able to tell a difference By the way when I was discussing all this with that latina call center administrator She kept saying things like this is latin america. It's not going to happen here We're too chaotic far behind the first world She said things like how are systems and government going to adapt to AI when they can't even synchronize the stop and go lights Much less keep the water flowing and the power going 24 7 So anyway, that's the mindset down here in latin america Some people have heard of AI but they've got no idea what it does

[07:20] How far along it is and how it's going to affect their daily life They just don't have any idea And when I mention to the lady that within five years, maybe even three She most likely won't even have a staff anymore All her call center operators will be AI and that she might not have a job either Well, she laughed and I could tell she didn't want to hear that she didn't want to believe it And came up with all kinds of excuses why that wouldn't be so So I changed the theme just a little bit and I said, you know It's projected that within five years There won't be a single uber or lift driver left in the united states. It'll all be robo cars No human drivers at all and she laughed again and said yeah Well, maybe in the u.s But that'll never happen here in latin america

[08:07] Yeah, right famous last words and when she said that I was thinking I didn't say out loud But I was thinking of what I experienced i'd say about 13 or 14 years ago. I was sitting in a taxi cab in panama Panama city to be precise I was going from the airport to my hotel and I noticed the taxi driver was going around and around Taking all kinds of side roads the long way I knew he was doing that to pad the fare Because you see i'd been to that hotel before hard rock in panama city. I knew the way However, the driver didn't know that so he was taking me the roundabout way. Hey, but what was I gonna do? I was at his mercy. I was stuck in his cab. Finally. I said taxi drivers don't get lost in the states anymore

[08:54] They use this new app on the phone called ways They may get stuck in traffic, but they end up in the lane. That's moving along the fastest I said in the states all the taxi drivers have smartphones and ways You just put in your destination and the gps satellites will monitor where you are and give you the best most direct route to your destination You know, I was sitting in that taxi a long time So I gave him a little preview of what ways was like with my gringo spanish I told him the app even knows where the traffic jams of the moment are It directs you to alternative routes and how many minutes it'll take to get there And you know what he did he turned to me and laughed and said You're making that up, right? He didn't believe me

[09:40] Remember, this is something like 2011 or 12. I said i'm serious and I repeated it once again He said if it is true, it's a first world thing that'll never come here to latin america Are you kidding? Just look around. I said why not? He said too much chaos Nobody follows the rules. You can see that He said look most houses don't even have street numbers. He said half of the roads don't even have road signs That's why he said it takes a very serious diligent driver like me to shuttle people around and I said, yeah, i've noticed that Well, you know how much time it took for ways to get to latin america? How much lag time about five years? by about 2016 or 2017 everybody had ways Or the google maps version

[10:27] In any event these days here in latin america a hundred percent of taxis lifts and uber drivers use it Even old grandpas and grandmas who happen to drive yet 10 or 12 years ago They all laughed and said it would never get here. They didn't even believe such a thing existed Uh-huh. Well, we'll see what happens with ai and call centers and robo taxis and lifts and ubers Yep, the next couple of years are going to be very interesting. There'll be massive disruptions Lots of people's lives are going to get shaken to the bone I'm just wondering what's going to happen to all those people who are going to lose their jobs now up in the states They're talking about a sort of government basic income safety net, you know mbi minimum basic income Which I personally don't believe in Handouts to able-bodied people. I don't believe in

[11:14] But then again i've heard that something like 40 percent of americans get some kind of us government payout or subsidy So technically that means almost half of the us is on welfare But my fear is what's going to happen to people in latin america? They're looking at a tsunami of unemployment people being replaced completely by ai All those call center jobs are going to be lost and they're a huge part of the economy And uber's lifts and taxi drivers. They're going to be out of work, too And those kooka roaches of the road those delivery guys on motorcycles They'll be replaced as well. I can't wait for that And remember here in latin america, there is no safety net when you're out of a job There's no welfare department or welfare office to go to Sure, most latin american governments have free food kitchen

[12:01] And some have subsidized food stamp like cards that can be used at supermarkets and stuff But compared to us food stamp welfare cards, they're a joke And there's no such thing as government low-income subsidized housing Not that that's a good thing. I mean i'm from chicago. I've seen cabrini green and the robert johnson housing projects Remember I mentioned in the show a long long time ago back when I was working on the street department dead dog crew Occasionally I had to go there and gather up a dead dog or two And as it turned out when he took the elevator you had to pay a toll To the gang member standing there when the door opened That's how bad u.s government housing projects were even back in the 70s Man, I wouldn't wish living there on anyone So maybe it is a good thing that latin american countries do not have government subsidized housing projects

[12:50] Though sometimes governments will assist neighborhoods by donating land Even doing some construction, but they don't own the projects themselves anyway regarding ai displacing jobs in latin america somehow I think in the next three to five even ten years There will be a big shift from the cities Back to the countryside i'm thinking that many people will move back to the land because unlike the demographics up in the united states Here in latin america almost everyone Has immediate relations a mother to father a grandpa an uncle an aunt Living somewhere out in the boonies out on a farm So in that sense, a great majority of city-dwelling latin americans have a safety net Not a government safety net but a family safety net case in point my girlfriend's got four brothers

[13:39] They all live in the big city All of them college educated all of them grew up on a farm way out in the boonies Her parents had pigs chickens cows mangoes avocados coconuts oranges lemons sweet potatoes, etc Etc and the farm it's way out in the boonies about an hour and a half from the big city Guess where all the city-dwelling sons and daughters cousins etc have their get-togethers out on that farm holidays special events birthday parties everyone gets together at the farm I've been there a bunch of times and when everyone leaves to go back to the big city Their handed boxes and bags full of produce almost too much to carry Now that kind of big city connection to a farm is just not common in the united states I mean look how many people do you know have a direct family connection to a producing farm?

[14:27] That's why latin americans are so resilient when there's a power outage. They just deal with it. They don't complain When there's a hurricane they deal with it. Yeah, they complain a bit, but they deal with it When there's a water shortage, they don't complain or cry to the government about it. They conserve They're just used to getting by on less It's something that people up in the states Don't know much about but are certainly going to have to start dealing with pretty soon Sure many people up in the states are survivors Especially the prepper types who've been stocking up on stuff for years But how many people do you know like that? Are you one of them? Are you ready for a big emergency a power outage? Let's say that lasts three days or more Do you have enough food to last a week or so?

[15:14] Just saying latin americans may be completely clueless about the coming ai revolution But in tough times they know how to survive Oh and for some of them, maybe most of them. It's always tough times For them tough times are normal times whereas tough times for americans Well a good percentage of you are starting to get a taste of it now, aren't you? Speaking of power outages, did you know that porta rico's power grid collapsed on new year's eve? Leaving nearly all of porta rico without electricity When that happened a statement from the power distribution company luma energy said roughly 87 percent Of porta rico energy customers were without power as of 1 p.m on tuesday

[16:00] New year's eve They added it would likely take two days to turn the lights back on And get this they don't even know what caused the outage. They're saying the situation is under investigation Hmm, so you're thinking if you move to latin america, is that what's going to happen to you? Well, you see it won't matter if you move into a residential tower because Every single residential tower has a giant diesel generator installed. That'll kick in During any power outage. It's part of the building code down here It's the law because in a tower you have to keep the elevators going so you need an emergency power plant However, if you're living in a house or apartment building you're on your own when there's a power outage So that's why in a couple of past shows I offered some solutions there

[16:45] We've talked about generators solar power, etc Anyway, just know that power outages are a fact here in latin america And though most of them only last a couple of seconds or a couple of minutes when there's a big storm or a hurricane It's a different story though, of course porta rico is an outlier They have probably the worst electrical grid in all of latin america Again, it's all about corruption because after the last big hurricane the money did get there Just did not go to be establishing the power grid. It went into politicians and ngo pockets as usual So again, that's another reason why you should put about zero faith in whatever a government does or says That's why latin americans are resilient They don't whine and cry and call up the government offices when there's a power outage or a water shortage

[17:31] Hey, i'm not saying latin americans plan ahead. They don't but they know how to survive when things get tough Why because for the majority of latin americans things are tough and so they're used to it But little by little and with a little lag time technology is like a rising tide. It lifts all boats All right moving on. Here's another little known fact about latin america on practically every block every street corner There's a handyman a handyman living in the neighborhood They call them abanelis down here abianelis. I think They're jacks of all trades. They can do a little carpentry little plumbing concrete work They can wear an outlet troubleshoot an electrical problem install a sink faucets a toilet Cut your lawn do some gardening, you know your basic all-round handyman

[18:21] Seems to me i've been told anyway those kinds of neighborhood handyman guys don't exist anymore up in the states But down here man, they're everywhere I've used guys like that here and there dozens of times In fact, I said to the guard at the gated guard community i've been hanging out in lately I told him that my washing machine just took a crap. I'd say it's about five or six years old Little rusty around the edges, you know how things get down here in latin america But so am I little rusty around the edges that is Anyway, I hit the start button and it didn't start I saw a little spark behind the front panel and then it died And you know what within 10 minutes. There was a guy at my front door with his little tool bag He said i'm a friend of your guard. I live down the street and I can fix things

[19:08] So I said have at it. He worked on it a while disassembled it pulled out a circuit board and said I can maybe have this thing fixed. I said how much he said probably cost around 20 bucks And if you need a new board might cost 60 Who was I to argue a new washing machine costs at least 500 bucks, right a decent brand name anyway Like whirlpool samsung lg By the way is for appliances. I always buy the brand name that washing machines and lg Now they sell lots and lots of off brands here in latin america coming from china and mexico And they are a lot cheaper than a known brand, but if you buy a known brand, you know, they're gonna have the parts speaking of crazy ass brand names You long-time listeners if you were paying attention heard me mention the fact that in central america

[19:57] You know panama and northwards on up to mexico You'll find every kind of brand name you're used to seeing up in the states. They've all landed in central america Just go to any big latin american shopping mall. You'll see what I mean It's like being in a big shopping mall in the states Well, you also probably heard me say that's not true of south america They're short on a lot of brands you're used to You'll see some odd chinese brands and some brands out of brazil that you'll never see up in the states or in central america But until just very recently there's been a big shortage of brand names that you and I are used to seeing But that started changing in 2024 There has been a big surge of international brand names entering south america Brands, you know up in the states and in central america, but were never in south america before in fact in mid 2024 when I was in argentina

[20:50] I noticed starbucks had landed. It wasn't there before same thing for the rest of south america Except for of course venezuela I was in columbia recently went to a couple of big commercial centers and I saw for the very first time Big popular clothing retailers like banana republic el ganzo carl legga field I saw well-known brands pop up that were never there before like crispy cream american eagle eye shop h and m And of course those chinese car dealerships are piling in names and brands. I had never heard before It's a funny thing, too There are more and more of them on the road and I keep saying to myself This reminds me a lot of when kia and hyundai first landed in the states in the late 1980s They were considered sub standards not equal to the other car brand names

[21:36] But the price was right They were 20 or 30 cheaper than the other well-known brand names in their class And I remember my engineering and nerd buddies when they see someone driving one on the road They'd say who'd pay good money for a piece of korean crap like that Now of course 30 years later kia and hyundai Are winning service and maintenance awards? Well, my engineering buddies are saying the same thing about chinese cars One thing they've all been saying is there are too many different kinds of chinese cars in the market There's no way they can all survive So what happens in five years if you've got a chinese car and it's an orphan? Either the company goes out of business or they pull that model from the latin american market Then what look it seems like every week or so I see at least one Chinese car maker model that i've never seen before

[22:23] There's just no way all those makes and models can survive in the market. Some are gonna have to die or go away Though unlike the early kia and hyundai days I am hearing from my engineering and nerd buddies that the quality of many of the chinese cars is way up there But of course, it doesn't matter if a couple years from now, you can't get part I mean really how can a dealer stock parts for those dozens and dozens and dozens of different car models and makes? Something's got to give so then why am I bringing this up because i've had many inquiries from gringles and expats saying johnny Look, I gotta buy a car. I'm down here in latin america. The chinese cars are looking pretty good They're very cheap for the price of a nice used car. I could buy a brand new chinese car with a five-year guarantee Yep, gringles and expats are asking me that question all the time Personally i'd hold back. I wouldn't dive in just yet

[23:10] Wait two or three years for the market to shake out then Get an electric because i'm telling you as an engineer in the past life and knowing many engineer and nerdy guys They're all saying the very same thing if you buy An internal combustion engine car the ice car as the world goes more and more electric in five years Your internal combustion engine car will have about zero Resale value which of course is okay if you never plan on selling that car On the cars that'll have the worst resale value of all hybrids five years from now You won't be able to give those things away So my advice for you gringles and expats down here who are looking to get a new car Sure, you can get an electric car, but there's not many charge stations Though by all means get an electric car if you're off the grid

[23:56] Then you can power it up at home yourself for free But if not, remember here in latin america electricity is much more expensive than it is up in the states So it'll cost you to charge your electric car off the grid That's why I suggest if you're not self-sufficient at off the grid if you do need to get a new car don't get a new car Instead get a decent used car Then keep it a couple of years and when you're ready for the next one Get an electric by then going off the grid will be so cheap It'd be stupid not to go with solar panels and lithium batteries By the way If you want to buy an electric car and have free power you don't have to go completely off the grid You can just get let's say 10 solar panels And a cheap inverter and use that to charge your car Like being your own gas station and since you'll only have panels and inverter and no batteries

[24:45] It'll only cost you between three and four thousand dollars and you'll never have to pay a cent for energy to charge your car again So get yourself 10 solar panels at four to five hundred watts each You could put them on your roof or set them up in your backyard. Anyway, it's not difficult There are a number of guys on youtube that'll take you through it step by step All right. Let's take an email from joel Living in guatemala for the past three and a half years. He said johnny You're always saying the worst liars in the world are politicians. You're wrong johnny. It's latin american meteorologists weathermen I noticed every day in local newspapers and on the local media sites They always have the weather forecast and on local tv cable tv and such They've got a beautiful stacked latina lady doing the weather

[25:34] Even so they never get it right ever Why do they even bother? All right joel. Thanks for that and you're absolutely right You should never count on a local latin american weather forecast being correct. I said local as for a general Country-wide forecast. Yeah, they can be very correct. Like for example when they're forecasting a hurricane Then by all means do pay attention But as far as local weather forecasting forget about it most all of latin america consists of what I call mini climates Latinos laugh when I mention that to them because they know what's correct That means you could be sitting out on your back porch bathing in the sun and right across the street It could be raining I can't tell you how many times i'll be driving along on a completely dry pavement and all of a sudden up ahead

[26:20] The road is soaking wet and there's a line of demarcation where it's completely dry and boom soaking wet The weather is that crazy down here doesn't matter how long you've been living down here. You can't predict the weather I ask my cleaning lady all the time Is it going to rain today? Because you know when she does the laundry she likes to dry the clothes out on the clothes line They smell and look fresher and i'll say are you sure you want to do that? Looks like rain and she'll say nah, it's not gonna rain and you know what 50 of the time she's right Not very good odds like flipping a coin So remember that if you've got an outdoor event to go to Which also means if you're ready to go to an outdoor event and look out the window when it's raining Don't be discouraged You've got a 50 50 chance. It'll be bright and sunny wherever your destination is

[27:08] So don't give up don't throw in the towel. Just bring an umbrella with you Oh, and by the way, we talk about the rainy season and the dry season down here, right? Those statements are generally true, but not cut and dried a lot of times during the dry season You'll get a one or two hour downpour and when it's over 20 minutes later, it'll be bone dry outside Yep, that tropical sun is powerful. You never completely get used to it You've been listening to the expat files living in latin america If you need some help with your own plan b we can schedule a one-on-one phone or skype consult Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com And if you want to get on the waiting list for my next week-long expat insider seminar in central america Where you're guaranteed to get a two to five year head start on your plan b

[27:55] Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com